Method and apparatus for producing radionuclide

Abstract

A method for producing a radionuclide is provided that produces molybdenum trioxide 99 (Mo-99.O3) and technetium oxide 99m (Tc-99m2.O7) by emitting an electron beam accelerated by an electron linear accelerator to a molybdenum trioxide 100 (Mo-100.O3) powder sample, and which separates and purifies technetium oxide 99m from both the molybdenum trioxide 99 and the technetium oxide 99m by using a radionuclide separation / purification unit. The method for producing a radionuclide supplies temperature-regulated gas to the molybdenum trioxide 100 powder sample during an irradiation period during which the electron beam is emitted to the molybdenum trioxide 100 powder sample.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing a radionuclide using an accelerator, and in particular, to a method and an apparatus for producing a radionuclide, capable of efficiently producing a radionuclide that is a source material of a nuclear medicine diagnostic pharmaceutical, using a small-sized, lightweight apparatus.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]Conventionally, molybdenum 99 (Mo-99), which is used as a source material of a nuclear medicine diagnostic pharmaceutical, is obtained by collecting and purifying a product produced in a nuclear reactor as a fission product of a high or low concentration of uranium 235 (U-235). Facilities that use a nuclear reactor for production as described above are limited in number, and are also lopsidedly located in the world. Countries not having such a facility rely on importation by airfreight, and thus have a concern for stable supply....

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for efficiently producing a radionuclide that is a source material of a nuclear medicine diagnostic pharmaceutical using a small-sized, lightweight apparatus. This allows for the efficient and effective production of useful radionuclides for medical diagnostic purposes.

Problems solved by technology

Facilities that use a nuclear reactor for production as described above are limited in number, and are also lopsidedly located in the world.

A facility that uses a nuclear reactor for production also has issues regarding facility operation, including temporal degradation of the nuclear reactor.

Thus, the issue of stable supply also exists.

Although Japan has many nuclear reactors, including commercial reactors and test reactors, Mo-99 is not produced domestically, and thus fully relies on importation.

Need for huge investment and maintenance cost in a production facility that uses a nuclear reactor disrupts tangible progress with domestic production using a nuclear reactor.

However, these methods using neutron require a large-scale accelerator, and also need providing a large screen around a Mo-98 or Mo-100 target, thus posing a problem of large overall size of the apparatus.

Moreover, such methods each have a low yield, and provide a low specific activity due to a relatively high abundance ratio of Mo-98 or Mo-100 to required Mo-99, as compared with the method using nuclear fission described above, and therefore also pose problems in that, for example, the purification technique that has been established for a facility using a nuclear reactor cannot be applied.

However, emitting accelerated proton to molybdenum 100 (Mo-100) generates not only Mo-99 and Tc-99m, but also technetium 99 (Tc-99) (Mo-100(p, 2n)Tc-99), and thus poses a problem in that Tc-99m having a high specific activity cannot be obtained in principle.

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